Effectiveness of a smartphone application (“BP Fit”) for community-based management of hypertension in urban primary care: a quasi-experimental study

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Hypertension affects an estimated 1.3 billion adults worldwide and is poorly controlled in low- and middle-income countries such as India, where sustained self-management and adherence are major challenges. Mobile health (mHealth) tools may support hypertension control, but robust evaluations from Indian primary care are scarce. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive smartphone application, “BP Fit,” on blood pressure, medication adherence, quality of life and lifestyle behaviours. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 272 hypertensive patients attending an urban health centre in Mysuru, India, over six months. Participants were allocated to an experimental group using BP Fit plus standard care (n = 136) or a control group receiving standard care alone (n = 136). Blood pressure was measured monthly for six months; medication adherence (Hill-Bone scale) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) were assessed before and after the intervention, and lifestyle behaviours were compared. Data were analysed with independent t-tests, chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results By six months, the experimental group had significantly lower blood pressure than controls (systolic median 130 vs 147.5 mm Hg; diastolic 80 vs 90 mm Hg; both p &lt; 0.001), whereas control blood pressure did not improve. Medication adherence was higher in app users (post-test median 31 vs 29; p &lt; 0.001), and all four quality-of-life domains were significantly better at post-test (all p &lt; 0.001). App users also reported greater adherence to dietary restriction (63.2% vs 29.4%), lower smoking (19.9% vs 45.6%) and lower alcohol use (23.5% vs 47.1%) (all p &lt; 0.001). The groups differed at baseline in age and marital status. Conclusion Use of the BP Fit application over six months was associated with improved blood-pressure control, medication adherence, quality of life and healthier lifestyle behaviours among hypertensive patients. These findings support the potential of comprehensive mHealth interventions to strengthen hypertension management in Indian primary care, while baseline group differences warrant confirmation in a randomised trial.</p>